Ramblings and ruminations about and around Asheville, my “Appalachian barrio”—nestled at the confluence of the Swannanoa River and the French Broad River in Western North Carolina.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

SOME post-election posts (or notes). Copy-pasted from my Facebook Page. I didn't update or edited these entries from the original posts. (Part 2)

ELECTION
is over. But some people are still arguing about it. I ask myself,
would those friends who were actually friends before all this
election fray got rolling--will finally shake hands now that electio
is over? I got friends here (friends that I know in person and
friends that I haven't met at all) who unfriended themselves
believing I have a preferred candidate or political party. They get
offended that I criticize their politico or politica like the person
is their god and the party their Church. Well, I criticize both and I
appreciate good deeds as well. Both sides. I guess, you could say
that there's more to criticize these days than those that we have to
commend. We just have to present alternatives.

I try. But if one is a
fanatic of this and that--no word that tends to question means
anything. Some even say they supported my fundraise concerts--so why
can't I support their bet? Well, my concerts gave help to people--and
I wasn't running to be Senator of Habahaba. More so, my community
projects and gigs don't support partisan politics or specific
religion. It supports everything that comprises a community. Facebook
maybe, just maybe, is good at revealing true colors of humanity.
Whatever the color is. You see, it's just election--four or six years
from now, there will be another election. Is that how short the life
of one friendship?xxxxx

IN
this world of power tilts, surprising realigments and contradictions,
Kremlin's machinations via WikiLeaks fed the fire inside the
Democratic front by widening the crack between Bernheads (socialists)
and Hillarysts (centrists)--thus dividing the camp so the ruling
class rules again. It worked. Trump is in power. Russia entered WTO
in 2012 (okayed by Congress which were generally Republican) which
means Russia has a say now in sale of crude oil to the US and
elsewhere. Vladimir Putin aligned with Donald Trump because, among
other things, Trump eases up taxing the rich (investors = Russians
and Chinese). Meantime, oil whether it is Opec or Russia is gold to
the Koch brothers.

Another
backgrounder. George Soros aligned himself with Hillary from PAC days
and even funded groups on the left side like Black Lives Matter and
cannabis legalization to balance the brinkmanship internally and win
the progressives—as what he did in the 90s in Southeast Asia by
derailing Asean's march to less reliance or independence from the
West (West = OPEC oil and security machinations in South China Sea).
Russia and Indonesia (who's got oil) are non-OPEC members. Russian
oil companies owe Chinese banks lotsa money. Before elections, Soros
was in Indonesia, HQ of Asean—which was always anti-Washington
(Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar etc). How does Duterte and Trump play
up in all these? Russia-China-US 1 percent matrix. Beijing operates
behind the scenes as always in regards US affairs—but Kremlin has a
poster boy in Putin. PR-wise Russia is less evil than China these
days in the eyes of American heartland. Duterte-China,
Russia-Washington/Trump. Meanwhile Soros regroups. That's how I see
it. Irrelevant what kind of drivel or twaddle comes out of the mouths
of Beavis and Butt-head.xxxxx

TAXES.
Taxes are such an issue. But it's not entirely that bad if taxes
translate to increased social program accessibility—like in the
cases of Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and Japan where
total tax rates are around 50 percent and more per capita income.

Fact
check to Donald Trump. The highest taxed nation is not the US.
Argentina (but I desist from discussing that for now). Tax rate per
capita in the US is 24 percent. But Canadians are taxed lesser at 21
percent. The Canadian province of Manitoba has a 0 percent
corporation tax rate for small businesses. In most surveys however
Canada ranks No. 1 overall for providing a good quality of life. The
country is tops for its well-developed education system, job market.
In fact, Canada was rated in the top five in all but one of the nine
attributes – affordability, where Asian countries dominated.

Meantime,
wanna know that in rich Qatar, tax rate is just 11.3 percent!
Lamborghinis and Ferraris rule the parking lots out there with
camels. No kidding. But seriously where I'd pursue business (in case
I end my American journey)? Singapore. A low tax ate of 18.4 percent.
Many companies from around the world choose Singapore as a base for
their Asian operations.xxxxx

FREEDOM
of speech. I know. We know. No one stops no one from speaking their
mind. So I will—and continue to invite unfriending, of course. I
couldn't wrap my mind with this absurdity of absurdities. This is
directed to Democrats or progressives/liberals who boycotted the
election because they were overcome with anger and grief that Bernie
Sanders wasn't chosen to carry the Party banner against Donald
Trump—or to those who voted the 3rd candidate as a form of subtle
protest that their bet didn't make it instead. I posted time and
again that the pre-election signs or forecast were pretty much even.
Hillary Clinton needed the Sanders votes. I assume that Sanders
supporters knew that—and the larger assumption or certainty is
Trump will clobber Clinton if the other half of the Democrat throng
don't participate. It was either Trump or Clinton, it's as simple as
that.

Now
I don't see the point why Sanders supporters are so noisy that Trump
is the new President. I wonder wouldn't they be noisier or less noisy
if it's Clinton? For me this not just a crack on the left side of the
road—the damage is a lot worse than that. It also magnifies a
national problem that is even beyond what the current protest is
shouting. Their fear of hate, racism, misogyny etc under Trump is
overtaken by the fear of a collective weakness to fight hate, racism,
misogyny because those who profess to fight them are more concerned
with individual end than the welfare of the majority.

A
divided people is a divided country, tempest in the yard is the ruin
of the house. Yet since the Conservatives/Right seems tighter and
bonded, I could see that if their President fails to deliver what he
promised, it's them—those who voted for him—will be the power
that'll bring him down not those who didn't. Why? Because they are
united as a people.